What stands out worked out from the figures below

Needham has the most kids (27.5% under 18).

Harwich has the most affordable homes ($659k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Needham	Harwich
People
Population	32,459Highest	13,598Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+9.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.1±1.6Lowest 8% above MA	58.6±1.5Highest 47% above MA
Kids under 18	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%	11.7%±2.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	17.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	35.8%±3.5Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	50.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	2.4%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA	$96,966±$13kLowest 7% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA	$658,600±$26kLowest 17% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,409±$183Highest 37% above MA	$2,017±$738Lowest 14% above MA
	Needham and Harwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$4,189Lowest 30% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.9%±8.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	56.7%±24.4Highest MA: 51.8%
	Harwich and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%	4.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	84.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 1 yr newer than MA	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% below MA	25 minLowest 14% below MA
Work from home	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%	17.3%±4.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 282 in MA	#157 of 282 in MA
School district	Needham	Monomoy Regional School District · Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Needham High	Monomoy Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	11.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	6 photos →

MA average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.